Missouri, Illinois lawmakers react to debt deal

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St. Louis (KSDK) -- After the Senate voted to pass the deal to raise the debt ceiling, Missouri and Illinois lawmakers reacted.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement:

"While I don't believe this is the best possible bill, it is the best bill possible at this time. No one party controls everything in Washington, so by definition, no party is going to be entirely happy with this agreement. However, this legislation is the best we can do right now, and it begins the process of changing Washington's spending behavior. We need to use it as a first step to ensure that we continue to rein in federal spending and focus on policies that help spur private sector job creation."

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Just before the United States Senate passed the bipartisan debt ceiling extension by a vote of 74-26, U.S Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the floor of the United States Senate about why he planned to vote for the compromise even though he disagreed with several portions of the legislation. In the speech, Durbin said that the consequences of defaulting on the nation's debt would be dire and could affect Social Security beneficiaries, the Central Intelligence Agency, and even the men and women risking their lives in the Armed Forces. Immediately following the vote, Durbin spoke about the next steps we must take to begin creating good-paying jobs right here at home.

"I will vote for this measure with a heavy heart," said Durbin. "There are parts of it that I will struggle to explain and defend, but I cannot let the American economy descend into chaos by failing to extend the debt ceiling. This bill makes a significant down payment on reducing our spending, and I hope that the Joint Committee it creates will further reduce our deficit it in a balanced and fair way-one that puts everything on the table. At the end of the day, Members of Congress and people in higher income categories should feel that they too are called to share sacrifice with the rest of the nation."

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U. S. Senator Claire McCaskill released this statement Tuesday afternoon after she voted to cut government spending and avoid a federal government default:

"It was unacceptable for the U.S. government to default on its debts. Some took an extreme position and said 'no', but at the end of the day there were a lot of leaders that came together in this democracy and forged a compromise. It's not a perfect package, but I'm proud that we were able to find compromise and avoid what would have been irreparable damage to our economy."